


wish upon the stars

by asdf8975



Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: 01 line, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Magical Girls, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23159683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asdf8975/pseuds/asdf8975
Summary: “Would you abandon your duty for love?”Finding out you're gifted with powers to protect the world is hard growing up, but maybe it’s not so bad when fate brings you together with three other girls who are in your class and share the same destiny.  Unfortunately for Hitomi, it's difficult when you have to juggle protecting the world and being a part of the Student Council.
Relationships: Honda Hitomi/Miyawaki Sakura, Honda Hitomi/Yabuki Nako
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	wish upon the stars

Hitomi loved summers.

Despite the obnoxious humidity in Japan and the unbearable temperatures (which oddly enough, never affected her anyway), the sunny season offered so much more: festivals every weekend, delicious fruits (she loved the peaches even though she was from Tochigi), ice cream and shaved ice that was absolutely the best during a blazing hot day, and clear starry skies.

In the summer during the break, her family would drive all the way to the mountainous regions of Okunikko to go stargazing. The stars littered the black skies, some shining brighter than others but they all did their part in keeping the night as bright as possible. It always left her breathless.

And, on the year of her 13th birthday, underneath the lit up skies, flickers of flames danced on Hitomi’s palms.

And that was when she found out she was gifted with powers to protect the world.

* * *

Magic was something not exactly hidden in the world. It dated back from the ancient times where people used fires to keep them warm at night and hunted animals with wooden and stone equipment. Some were gifted magic by the stars, some inherited from their families of long ago, and some, well, some were just never born with magic. That didn’t stop people from dedicating their lives to learning more about the craft. 

In a conservative country like Japan, those with magic powers were never televised unless a fight broke out between demon-like monsters that were formed from “dark matter” (something that no one for centuries has figured out) and these beings with magical powers. Every time the news decided to do the briefest of brief segments on them, her Father would change the channel and her Mother would gather her and her siblings in a small huddle and explain to them the dangers of magic. 

Hitomi had to hide the burning feeling that scorched her insides and the flames that would sometimes flicker at the tips of her fingers so she wouldn’t worry her parents or siblings (and possibly get disowned). 

But, on the year of her 14th birthday, it all changed when she met an actual magical being at a concert.

* * *

On the year of her 16th birthday, Hitomi bravely took a step into a new country.

Somehow, she was convinced by the magical being she met that fateful day (who quickly turned into a good friend) to attend High School in Korea.

Unlike Japan, Korea encouraged the use of magic. They studied it extensively and pushed their limits with it. It soon became the country where those who wanted to learn more about magic would move over to study and wield these powerful elements. Hitomi knew that if she wanted to harness her powers and develop them, she would have to move. 

Her parents were against her move, mad even that Hitomi spent all these years (since her 13th birthday) hiding it from them. They were furious when they found out Hitomi was already involved fighting against dark beings since she was 14. It did explain the bandages that sometimes were wrapped around her arms and legs and hands when she came home from school. 

However, when a powerful magical family, Yabuki, involved themselves in her matter, her parents started to (unwillingly) understand the powers and the duty that was bestowed onto Hitomi on her 13th birthday.

So, that year Hitomi packed up her belongings and made the bold move to attend school in Korea.

(It was actually brought up to her the year before, and Nako, her magical being friend, forced her to study Korean in between all their magical duties and normal school work.)

It’s difficult—scary even (especially at a young age) to attend school in an entirely different country but Hitomi felt like she would be  _ okay _ . She wasn’t alone, Nako would be with her, and the Yabuki family supported both of their magical development. Her parents also promised they would keep in touch (maybe after they got over their anger) and said their doors would always be open for her to come back to. 

And in that same year, Hitomi would meet and befriend a mage from a family dedicated to researching the ins and outs of magic and another one that they called  _ Snow White _ .

* * *

The fighting never stopped, no matter what country Hitomi was in. Their phones would go off, alerting them of abnormal presences nearby and Hitomi, Nako, and two of their classmates they befriended—Jo Yuri and Kim Minjoo, would immediately mobilize and take to their magical forms to investigate and eradicate whatever was in the area. 

And sometimes it was difficult if they weren't all there. 

"When will Minjoo get here?!"

Jo Yuri was a prodigy mage from the Jo family. She fought with a scythe created from her very own hands to go with the lightning magic she was gifted. 

(She also could turn into something like a mic and a mic stand oddly enough. Hitomi always wondered why she incorporated that feature.) 

And currently, she was having difficulties keeping up with nimble dog-like creatures that they ran into on their way home from school. 

Yuri swung the scythe downward, swiping at the sharp teeth of the creature that tried to bite her. She barely blocks the fangs of another with the handle of her scythe–fangs dangerously close to her now. 

In a flash, the creature was slammed away by a hammer as Nako appeared by Yuri's side in an instant. "Dunno, I think she mentioned she was tutoring those junior high school kids again?" 

Yuri huffed, thanking Nako as she snapped her fingers, calling a lightning bolt to strike down on the other creature that wasn't whacked away. "We really need something  _ icy _ to slow these creatures down."

"You know, _ icy _ was a great song—" 

Fire snapped above Nako's head as another creature tried to strike above unsuccessfully. 

Hitomi was doing her fair share of holding her ground, but even she had a limit to Nako's bantering in the middle of fighting. 

"Not now, Nako-chan!"

She raised her katana as another creature bashed its head against the blunt side. She struggled to push it away and concentrated on heating the steel of the katana to deter it. The creature seemed susceptible to her magic as it backed away with a yelp. 

Nako came flying in, smacking the creature she pushed away. She heaved her hammer quickly over her shoulder, smiling at her. "Sorry Hii-chan! Just doing my best to protect you!" 

Before Hitomi could snap and chide her for her somewhat embarrassing remarks, Nako was gone again in a flash, swinging her hammer at two of the creatures that went on the attack. It's wonders of how such a small body could wield a hammer twice her size. On top of that, Nako's main element, wind, made her twice as fast.

Hitomi heaved a heavy breath, the constant fighting taking its toll on her. Yuri was right, they really needed Minjoo—

A shiver ran down her spine as she felt the temperature drop just around her. The cold does bother her (being a fire user and all), but this one brought an underlying warmth to her. She let out a sigh of relief as ice formed below the claws of the creatures that were slowly surrounding them. 

Nako nearly slipped on the ice and Hitomi grinned at the silent curse. She turned behind them as a pink haired mage joined them, a white bow in hand. 

"I'm sorry I'm late!" 

The pink haired mage apologized with a sheepish smile.

Kim Minjoo was more similar to Hitomi, granted powers when she was younger even though she came from a non-magic family. While her family was more receptive and encouraged her to study magic, they still treated her normally. And out of all of them, Minjoo was the most hard-working because she wanted to not burden her family with her choice (and fate). She also was the kindest, spending her free time helping in and out of school. 

"Minjoo, couldn’t you have taught those junior high students faster?" Yuri quickly retorted as she bounded forward, now at even speed with the previously speedy creatures, and swung her scythe at them. An arrow whizzed by her, striking out one that tried to attack from behind. 

Minjoo smiled bashfully, "Sorry, you know Yujinie and Wonyoungie can be a handful."

"Minjoo, bless your kind soul and your love for kids, but we really needed a hand." Nako added as she used Minjoo's ice to her advantage to slip and slide around the creatures, confusing them and striking them from behind. 

Hitomi stood back to back with Minjoo, katana gleaming in anticipation as some of the creatures approached them, growling. "You don't need to listen to them, Minjoo, you know Yuri and Nako love you just as much."

A giggle came over her shoulder as she felt Minjoo's posture relax. "I love you all too." 

Hitomi laughed quietly at her response, Minjoo was too kind to them. She stepped forward, dodging the fangs that snapped at her and swung her flaming katana downwards.

With the advantage gained from the ice mage on their side, they cleared the area with ease.

As everything disappeared, Hitomi sighed out in relief, allowing her flames to engulf her and return her back to normal, her pink hair disappearing back to its dark colour. She glanced at the time on her phone, blinking at the flashing message from ‘Miyawaki Sakura’. 

“Oh, someone got a message from  _ her _ vice~” 

She instantly slapped Nako’s shoulder, hard with a tinge of heat. “She and I—we’re not like that!” She hissed, excusing the redness of her face from the aftermath of their battle. She heard Nako’s breathless laughter next to her, and yelped when there was a hard jab in her ribs but Nako was gone in an instant.  _ Cursed wind power girl— _

“Miyawaki Sakura?” Yuri asked as her blonde hair faded away to her original brunette shade, “I thought you two were close, Nako?” 

“Saku-chan and I are pretty close. She’s still mad at me though because I boasted about how Twice beat Red Velvet in the Archery competition last ISAC and even posted pictures of the score all over the school bulletin— “

“Except Twice came in second to Gugudan.” 

Nako shut up immediately when Yuri mentioned that with a smug look.

Hitomi was too engrossed with reading her senior’s message that she didn’t notice the ever so quiet,  _ Snow White _ approach her side until a small tingle of coldness scraped her shoulder. “Does she need your help?” Minjoo asked, concerned at her silence over their other friends’ bickering.

“She’s asking me about a report I filed yesterday… It seems like someone must have misplaced it and Eunbi-unnie will turn the Student Council Room upside down if it’s not found…” She bit her lip, that was strange, she was sure she put it away correctly. 

“Why don’t you go back and help her find it? We can finish up here. I would hate to see the school closed down because the President blew it up.” 

“Can she actually do that? I thought it was proven that the President couldn’t use magic.” 

“You never know, she could be just hiding it all this time and waiting for— “ 

There’s a soft shove from Minjoo, pushing Hitomi away from the two chattering kids. “We’ll see you at school tomorrow.” She waved to her before running after Yuri and Nako who were still in their discussion about the Student Council President while surveying the area. 

Hitomi smiled, thanking her friends quietly before taking off in the direction of the school. 

* * *

Miyawaki Sakura was her senior of two years and the vice president of the student council. When her and Nako first entered the school, she specifically came to greet them. Her and Nako got along from the start; Nako used to live in Fukuoka, Sakura's old home, and they both had a love for K-pop. Hitomi remembered silently listening to their conversation about their favourite groups and songs with amusement. 

Sakura suggested for the two of them to join some clubs and while Nako insisted on keeping to the “go-home” club, Hitomi wanted to do something. But when nothing caught her eye, Sakura offered her a position in the Student Council. They were short of a member and could use the helping hand. That’s how Hitomi found herself running back and forth from fighting monsters to helping out her seniors in the Student Council.

“Kkura-unnie, I’m sorry for taking so long.” Hitomi slid the door open and closed it as she set her bag down on the table nearby. “I-I was just a bit, umm, busy.” 

A chair from the inside screeched silently, the only occupant in the room before Hitomi showed up standing with an understanding smile. She shook her head, “Don’t worry about it, Hii-chan. I should be the one saying sorry, I called you out this late to find this damn document.” A frown touched the corner of her lips, it was evident Sakura was frustrated with the state of the room—papers and folders strewn everywhere, cabinets half open, boxes scattered around the floor… 

Sakura wasn’t joking that Eunbi-unnie was going to turn the whole council room upside down. 

“Why don’t you take a look, I’ll make you a drink.” Sakura walked over to the far end of the student council room, where an espresso machine and a fridge was set up. How a certain second year convinced the president to allow one in the Student Council Room was beyond all of them. 

Hitomi thanked her as she went over to the cabinets where she stored the paper last, “Just an Americano please—decaf if you can!” 

She searched through the files in the cabinet, her brow furrowing as she flipped through each paper. The folder she stored the document away disappeared from its spot. While she continued to dig through the files, her nose twitched at the unique aroma that filled the room. 

Her shoulders slacked—there was a certain smell that coffee had that made her relax. It was like the feeling of warm fuzzy slippers in the middle of a chilly winter. It’s one of her favourite feelings but Hitomi liked anything related to warmth.

Her hand brushed a folder, something crumbling just at the tips of her fingertips. She raised a brow and pulled the folder out—this was it! Hitomi’s eyes caught small cookie crumbs falling and blinked in confusion. 

“Did you find it Hii-chan?” Sakura’s question suddenly flooded her ears and Hitomi noticed the aroma she loved so much was much stronger. Her eyes snapped to her side, catching the side profile of her senior’s face as she looked over her shoulder. Her eyes traced the outline, running from the top of her bobbed hair to the bottom of her chin. She was surprised to find her so close. 

“Hii-chan?” 

Sakura slowly turned to her, blinking. Hitomi snapped out of her reverie rather quickly, cursing Nako in her mind after all the teasing she’s been making her go through about her and Sakura. She took in a deep breath to calm her nerves, “Yes, this is it.” She showed her the folder with a triumphant smile. 

A sigh of relief left Sakura’s lips as she gratefully took the folder from Hitomi’s grip, “Thank you so much, Eunbi-unnie would’ve made us stay all night looking for the folder if you didn’t find it.” She held up a styrofoam cup to her, “Here you go, your prize.”

A small giggle escaped Hitomi as she graciously took the cup, taking in her favourite aroma. “I’m always happy to help.” She paused, feeling the heat through the cup. “Kkura-unnie, are you okay? This is burning!”

“Hm?” Sakura glanced up from the folder, and quickly shook her head, “Oh, that. It’s fine. I’m used to the heat.” 

Hitomi perked up a little, “Really? I thought I was the only one!” Her smile turned wider as she took a sip of the coffee—the decaf americano exploding on her tongue. The warmth was a heavenly contrast to the cool night. “Nako-chan complains all the time when I hand her a freshly made hot drink without a sleeve.” 

A chuckle and a smirk played on Sakura’s lips. “Nako is just a wimp. Don’t tell her I said that, she’ll get mad and try to convince Yena to let her broadcast Twice songs over the intercom again, and knowing Yena, she’ll let her.”

“Who are we letting play what now over the school intercom?” 

A third and familiar voice joined them after the door swung open. The notorious second year, Kang Hyewon stepped into the room, munching on a cookie. She noticed the folder in Sakura’s hands and beamed, “Looks like you found it! Thank god, we won’t be sleeping in the Student Council room tonight.” 

Sakura set the folder on the table, “You were getting ready to, weren’t you?” 

A nonchalant shrug came from the second year as she went to Sakura’s side to help clean up the room. Hitomi greeted Hyewon politely, her eyes noticing the crumbs left behind from her cookie. She tilted her head, “Kang-chan, did you move the folder today?” 

“Hm?” Hyewon glanced over at her, blinking. “Maybe? Do you think I did?”

“I found crumbs left on the folder that look suspiciously like the cookie you were eating.” She rubbed her index and thumb together, feeling the small bits left grating against her smooth skin. She raised a brow as a slow realization swept the room. 

Sakura could be seen creeping up to Hyewon, glowering. “Kang Hyewon…” 

“Kkura-ya, t-this is a misunderstanding, I swear I wasn’t trying to prank Eunbi-unnie again—” 

Hitomi winced but smiled a little as Sakura wrapped an arm around Hyewon’s neck and brought her down with her. She watched the two wrestle against the floor, feeling like this was a show of how close they were despite their age difference. She enjoyed this side of the Student Council members. A chime started to play from Sakura’s phone, but the two were too engrossed in their own world to answer. Hitomi glanced at the caller ID, and picked up the phone. 

“Hello? Eunbi-unnie?” 

_ “Saku— Hii? What are you doing on Sakura’s phone?”  _

Hitomi looked over at the two, their heads perked up now that they heard Hitomi. “I was just helping Kkura-unnie with finding the file you were looking for.” 

_ “Oh good, did you find it?”  _

“Yes we did—”

She was cut off by the shriek that came from the other side of the room. 

**“Eunbi-unnie! Help! Kkura is going to kill me!”**

The line came to a complete silence—Hitomi was positive that Eunbi heard that cry for help. A soft sigh came after, “ _ Was that Hyewon?”  _ Hitomi made a noise of acknowledgement at her question. 

_ “She probably deserved it.”  _ A small giggle came from Hitomi, amused at Eunbi’s muttering.  _ “Since you found the file, you can all go home. Sorry that we made you stay late again, Hii. Make sure to tell Sakura and Hyewon to clean up the room before they leave.” _

“It’s no problem, Unnie. Have a good night.”

“ _ You too. Love you and  _ **_only you_ ** _ lots. _ ” 

Hitomi laughed again before she hung up the phone. She passed Sakura her phone after she finally let go of Hyewon and relayed the message to her. “She said to make sure the room is clean before we go.” 

“Sounds like Eunbi-unnie. She probably only wished you a good night too because you’re her favourite child.”

Hitomi shrugged, looking away from Sakura’s gaze with a playful smile. “You might be right.” 

Sakura sighed as she rubbed her head. “So much love for the vice. Okay Kang-chan, let's finish cleaning up so we can leave.” She returned to Hitomi, smiling, “You can go home now, Hii-chan. Thanks for helping out.” 

“Oh, I can help too. It’ll be faster if the three of us did it together and then we can all go home quicker.”

An arm slung around Hitomi’s shoulders, “Hitomi is an angel we don’t deserve. She’s just like  _ her _ .”

_ Her? _

Hitomi glanced between Hyewon and Sakura, noticing immediately how Sakura’s shoulders stiffened. She opened her mouth to ask about  _ her _ but Sakura’s small smile made her stop. It looked so melancholic despite it being something to show happiness— 

“Yeah, she’s just like our  _ feather _ .” Sakura turned her back, “And it would be rude of us seniors to let our junior walk home by herself late at night anyways.”

The decision was made and Sakura started cleaning without another word. Hyewon leaned over, whispering into Hitomi’s ear before she pulled away to help as well. The words left Hitomi speechless and a creeping blush on her cheeks. 

_ Don’t worry, you’re her favourite too. _

* * *

When lunch hits, they always gathered in the corner of the classroom by the window, using Minjoo’s desk as their lunch table. Because of today’s special (Hitomi’s favourite, sweet potato cheese bread), Nako bolted out of the classroom as the bell rang. The special was a particular favourite at their school, so the store would be in absolute chaos as everyone fought for the bread. Minjoo trailed behind Nako, having to return some books to the library and to make sure everything was safe (she was the only responsible student according to the librarian). 

Yuri pulled up Minjoo’s chair as Hitomi turned around her seat (she was blessed with the seat right in front of Minjoo), placing her notebook on the desk. “I was digging through some of my parents' research last night and found something really interesting about the creatures we’ve been fighting.” She flipped the book open, showing Hitomi pages full of Korean words she barely could read with diagrams and illustrations. 

Hitomi read everything in fascination—Yuri really was a prodigy of the Jo family. 

“Are these… crystals?” She asked, pointing to a various set of crystal-like drawn objects that had explanations reflected on the side. Yuri nodded, “They’re like empty vessels that are made to hold magic in them.” She paused, rereading her notes that she made. “Some mages contain their magic in containers like these for various uses. Think of it like…” She paused, glancing around the classroom to conjure any examples. Her eyes fell upon Hitomi, and she nodded.

“If you were to push your fire magic into one, then you basically have an explosive. Or if Minjoo were to use her ice magic, she would have a snowball.” 

“A  _ snowball _ ? How is that even  _ helpful _ ?” 

Yuri shrugged, “It was just an example, but mages over time can perfect their use of stored magic.” She flipped to the next page, and pointed out the same crystal-like objects again, except this time they were darkened. “A theory that came up was that you could even use this stored magic to manipulate  _ things _ .” Hitomi’s brow furrowed, but she continued to listen to Yuri’s explanation. 

“This is like the beginning of a specialization called summoning and using creatures to help you. But! The theory that my parents and maybe me,” There’s a bit of a rise in her shoulders and a boastful tone to her voice, “came up with is that you can control those creatures with magic.” 

“Control them? Do people actually...”

Yuri’s voice lowered and she threw a cautious glance around, making sure no wondering ears could hear. She turned to Hitomi as Hitomi drew closer to listen. “There’s  _ tons  _ of people in this world, Hii-chan, and not everyone uses magic for good. It’s always possible that someone would want to dabble into using those evil creatures we fight for their own ambitions.” 

The words felt like a warning, and Hitomi felt a lump form in her throat. Yuri did have a point, not everyone would use magic to help others like they did.

“What’s with the sullen mood? It’s like a  _ downpour  _ here.” 

Hitomi and Yuri immediately snapped up, causing a couple of girls to stumble back, nearly dropping the trays of food in their hands. They stared at the newcomers to their group, and heaved a sigh of relief when it was just their friends back with their lunch. They cleaned up their desks quickly and set it so Minjoo and Nako could set the trays down. Once everyone was finished, they started their lunch. 

“Oh wait—” A soft rustle was heard as Nako dug through a bag she forgot she carried into the classroom, and pulled out four sticks of bread, coated with melted cheese and wedges of sweet potato. Hitomi’s eyes widened, brightening at the sight of the bread, her mouth opening into a small ‘o’. 

“I nabbed four of these today. I know our resident bread-lover slash critic loves it.” 

Hitomi already snapped one out of Nako’s hands in the middle of her speech, unwrapping the bread. “You’re the best, Nako-chan.” 

“You mean I’m _ very nice— _ ” 

Yuri pressed a finger against Nako’s shoulder, and the shortest member yelped as a zap of electricity pricked her. “I think that’s one too many k-pop references in one day.”

A muffled laugh came from Minjoo but Hitomi was too busy enjoying her bread happily to listen to the start of Yuri and Nako’s banter.

“Going back to the conversation earlier. I think we should be careful of our surroundings and be aware of anything that drops.” Yuri suggested, looking over at Hitomi who agreed (with puffed cheeks). She glanced over at Minjoo and Nako, telling them quietly that she’ll fill them in later when there wasn’t as many people around. 

They went back to having their quaint lunch, but Yuri’s heavy words stuck to the back of Hitomi’s mind. She had to always remind herself that their duty was to be taken seriously because there were all sorts of people out there and they could turn up at  _ any time. _

* * *

Staying after school was normal for most students. Many belonged to different clubs or activities or liked to use the school facilities to further develop their skills, or liked to hang around (much to some teachers chagrin). Hitomi often stayed to help the Student Council, Yuri was part of the music club (she dabbled into many things related to music instead of sticking to one specialty), and Minjoo was a student helper at the library. Even Nako stayed a few times, some clubs or students asking for her help (it was a well-known fact that Nako was  _ fast _ ).

Hitomi was going over some inquiries left by students, Hyewon sitting next to her, helping with some of the words she couldn’t read or understand. At the same time, Hyewon was organizing the schedule and goals for their upcoming deadlines that they needed to fulfill. Across from them, Sakura and Eunbi were discussing budgets and approvals for upcoming events. It was another busy day.

And on top of their busy day, the lights suddenly went out, enveloping the room into darkness. A small cry came out of Hitomi and she ducked under the table. Her seniors seemed more confused than scared like she was, their work and discussion seizing to a halt. 

“Did… any of the clubs say they were going to short circuit the power breaker?” 

Through covered eyes, Hitomi (from underneath the table) watched Hyewon lean over her seat, scrolling through something on the screen. She stopped shortly after, falling back into her seat, “Nothing here. It’s possible that someone overloaded a circuit and forced the switch on the breaker.”

Another sigh and a soft screech of a chair moving backwards. 

“Let’s go take a look at the main breaker to make sure that no one blew that up, or else we’ll have a much bigger issue on hand.”

Hyewon stood up as well and started walking away towards the door. Hitomi saw Eunbi’s legs pass by, following Hyewon’s footsteps. She could hear the door open and footsteps fade away, there’s a pause at that brief second. 

“Sakura?” 

“I’ll stay here, the culprit might come running to the student council room and confess their wrongdoings.”

She could envision the sly smirk on Sakura’s lips as she said that. A soft laugh came from Eunbi and a quiet hum. Her footsteps left the room, the door quietly clicking as it shut. Hitomi slowly crawled forward, glancing upwards to meet brown eyes filled with mirth. A smile curled at the corner of her lips and she raised a brow down at her. 

Hitomi pouted, “I-I don’t like the dark that much.” She confessed, “It reminds me of horror stories, and I’m terrible at handling them.”

“I’m the same.” Sakura held out a hand to her, “Sometimes when we were working late, Kang-chan would always start telling us these strange ghost stories about bathrooms and empty music rooms. Eunbi-unnie always rolled her eyes at them but _ — _ ” 

Hitomi gently gripped onto Sakura’s hand, using her as leverage to pull herself out from underneath the table, and noticed the strange silence that came from Sakura before she could finish her sentence. She felt the grip in her hand slack, and curiously tilted her head upwards to see what was wrong. Sakura turned her head away. 

“But, the previous member of the student council and I we _ — _ we were both scaredy cats.” 

_ The previous member of the Student Council? _

It’s the first time that Sakura has ever mentioned the mysterious previous member. It occurred to Hitomi that none of them actually talked about the member she had replaced. Was it the  _ her  _ that Hyewon mentioned before? 

She shook her head, pushing her thoughts away at that moment. She could ponder about all of that on her own time _ — _ her senior was more important right now. 

Hitomi gently twined their fingers together, and squeezed it for reassurance. Sakura blinked, glancing down at their hands together, and looked at her for an explanation. She replied with a small smile.

“When I'm down, Nako-chan holds my hand like this. It helped me through some tough times. It kind of became a thing with Yuri and Minjoo too.” She paused, her smile curled even more at the fond memories of her friends, “I hope it comforts you as well.”

There’s a soft squeeze and she’s met with a grateful smile. 

“Thanks.” Sakura gently tugged their entwined hands, “I should reciprocate then. There’s something that I was shown that helped me out through those times.”

Hitomi let Sakura guide her and when they got to the window, Sakura pulled the curtains away and pointed towards the sky. Hitomi peered over her senior’s shoulders, and her eyes widened at the site that laid before her.

Stars decorated the skies above them. Even though it wasn’t completely pitch black because of the light pollution from typical inner-city lights, it was still dark enough to see the stars that were scattered. It reminded her of her trips to Okunikko. It was simply breathtaking. She wished that more people could see this sight.

Sakura’s hand in hers loosened and her eyes stared upwards fondly. She had such a gentle expression on her face that Hitomi was almost convinced it was a completely different person next to her.

“Even though we were scared of the dark, she found the sacrifice worth it to see the stars above.”

Seeing that Sakura seemed better, Hitomi slowly slipped her grip out and observed the stars above them. “They’re beautiful. I should thank the person who was able to show this to you.” 

The expression on Sakura’s face faltered for a second and the same melancholic smile from before touched her lips. “Maybe one day.” 

They watched the stars in silence after that, admiring their beauty to themselves until the lights flickered back on. At that moment, they both knew that Eunbi and Hyewon must have fixed the issue and were coming back. Hitomi thanked Sakura for helping her get through the darkness and went back to her seat. 

Hitomi pulled up the files she was working on, but couldn’t help but notice from the corner of her eyes, Sakura stayed at the window sill, watching the night sky. Her eyes seemed to be searching for something out there.

_ Maybe one day... _

* * *

It was hard to diligently do your work when you anxiously stared at your phone the entire time. 

Hitomi's strange behaviour didn't go unnoticed by the other Student Council members—Eunbi even asked her quietly if everything was okay, but got a half-hearted 'yes' as a response. Even when she tried to push it out of her mind, her eyes (and heart) were always drawn to the phone, just  _ waiting _ . 

Earlier that evening, just a couple of hours after school ended and everyone parted ways to their after school activities, a message buzzed on Hitomi's phone. It was another alert. She found herself in a difficult position—their meeting at the Student Council much longer than expected and their normal work not even touched yet. Her duty was first and foremost, but getting out of the student council room was proven difficult because they haven't even started their tasks for the day.

She apologized profusely, almost keyboard smashing her heart out but Nako reassured her that she could handle it (or as she put it, _I'm goin'_ _solo_ ). After that, there was no response from Nako, and Yuri and Minjoo finally finished their activities and rushed to find her. 

With no responses from  _ anyone _ , Hitomi couldn't help but worry. Did they already finish and were just surveying the area? Or were they still battling their hearts out, trying to survive? Or even worst, were they in the jaws of—

"Hii?" 

Eunbi's voice called out to her again, and Hitomi snapped out of her thoughts, staring at the President from across her. "Y-Yes, Unnie?" 

"Are you okay? You're sweating…"

_ Sweating? She never sweats— _

She dropped her pencil with a gasp when she noticed the perspiration coating the wooden surface and her hands all clammed up. She quickly touched her face— _ nothing _ . It was a cold sweat.

"I'm, I'm okay, I just maybe I need a breather—" 

A soft knock interrupted her stutter and all eyes that were on her flew to the door. The door opened, and Hitomi abruptly stood up, eyes wide. "Nako?!" 

Nako grinned, her breath coming out in soft pants. This caught Hitomi's eyes immediately  and she was  _ worried _ —Nako was  _ never _ out of breath.

"Sorry to disturb you, Pres, Vice and uhh Kang-chan. Could I borrow Hii for a bit? It's kind of important." 

Despite Nako's usual playful tone and demeanor, her eyes were serious with a hint of pleading. Hitomi wanted to leave but knew that it would be rude and against her responsibilities to the student council. She faced Eunbi, bowing, "I'm sorry Eunbi-unnie, this is really important."

"We can cover for you right now, it's no problem."

Hyewon spoke up, nodding to Sakura and Eunbi. The former agreed silently, her eyes trained on Nako and Hitomi. On the other hand, Eunbi stood up and smiled.

"Go, Hii. We'll wait for you here, don't worry about us for now."

A heavy yet grateful sigh passed Hitomi's lips and she gathered her belongings haphazardly. "I'll be back soon!" She bowed one more time before following after Nako, taking her hand in hers and squeezing it  _ tight _ . 

Nako weakly grinned, but squeezed her hand back. 

"And Nako." They paused at the exit, looking back at Eunbi who was watching them. "Make sure you take care of Hii. Don't be using her for any of your pranks with Yena."

Nako laughed and waved to Eunbi, reassuring her that was far from the case of why she needed Hitomi. 

* * *

Their footsteps are quick, moreso Nako’s than Hitomi’s, with Nako just a couple of hops ahead of her. Their hands are still linked together, Hitomi clutching on it for dear life. From behind the small wind user, Hitomi could see the lingering signs of the battle she was in before—the way her shoulders sagged with exhaustion, the roughness of the skin on her hand from clutching onto her hammer, the bruise that’s slowly forming on her cheek... 

“You’re  _ injured _ , Nako-chan!”

Nako threw a small smile behind her, “I know, I tried to take on as much as I could.” Hitomi opened her mouth again to protest, to scold, to say something because she was so worried, but Nako was quicker. “We need to hurry though, Minjoo and Yuri are still fighting.” 

As soon as they were out of the school and out of sight from anyone else, gusts of wind whipped around, engulfing Nako and transforming her into her magical form, her clothes taking form into the white, gold, and green uniform she took on, and her hair fading from it’s black to the bright lavender that she proudly wore. Her uniform was slightly tattered, not having enough time to reform itself from the damages of her battle earlier.

“Climb onto my back, it’ll be faster if I carry you to where they are.” 

Hitomi wanted to protest once more, concerned that Nako was still too tired from earlier, but it was fruitless. Once Nako decided on something, it was hard to convince her elsewise—especially when she was  _ serious _ . Wordlessly she climbed onto the smaller back, closing her eyes after wrapping her arms around her neck. There’s a soft grunt as arms wrapped around her legs and lurched her forward a bit so she would be securely on. Her hair whipped behind her as they moved forward together—Nako broke out into a sprint.

Her head curled inward, digging into Nako’s shoulder. “Nako-chan.” Her voice was muffled, “You’re dumb.” 

A small snort came from the wind mage. “That’s not something you say to someone who's carrying you.” 

“I just... “ The words died at her lips. She felt like she was going around in circles about how worried she was for Nako and for Minjoo and Yuri as well. There’s a soft squeeze against her legs. She opened her eyes briefly, seeing Nako staring at her with a smile. 

“You can lecture me later but you might have to be last because Yuri and Minjoo called dibs first.”’ 

From that statement and the expression on Nako’s face, Hitomi knew how much Nako cared about all of them, and stilled her complaints. She was right, they had to focus on what was happening now before they could think about anything after.

* * *

As they neared the area, Hitomi could already hear clashes and strikes of bolts and ice against the ground. Her eyes snapped open and she raised her head a little from Nako’s shoulder, trying to catch glimpse of Yuri or Minjoo and praying for their safety. In the distance, she could see a single lamp lit, and Yuri and Minjoo standing back to back with each other, a case of ice surrounding them, used as a makeshift shield. 

Nako halted, letting Hitomi climb off of her. After Hitomi pulled away, she focused her magic at her fingertips and gathered it there, her hammer forming in the palm of her hand. She heaved it over her shoulders, looking back at Hitomi, “The creatures this time use the shadows as their way to travel and attack, hence why they also killed the lights in the park. Yuri was able to use her electricity to keep one street light lit but as you can see, we’re a bit… trapped.” She explained the situation quickly to Hitomi, who glanced around with observant eyes. She knew what her role was. 

“With my fire and Yuri’s lightning, we can create multiple light sources to make it easier to see the creatures and destroy them.” Hitomi concluded, nodding confidently. Nako gave her a quick thumbs up, “I’ll leave it to you to decide when it’s the best time for you to join.”

Nako raced forward, jumping into the fray now as a disfigured shadow creature with large sharp claws tried to strike Yuri and Minjoo from above; slamming her hammer against it and pushing it away from the two.

Hitomi took a deep breath, calling the embers from within herself forward. She felt the heat envelop her body as her very own transformation took place. In matters of second, her black hair was burnt away into a vibrant pink coloured state and her clothes replaced into a similar uniform like Nako’s but adorned with red instead of green. In the palms of her hand, her katana formed, sharp as ever.

With her transformation complete, Hitomi followed after Nako, joining her friends in their duty to protect the world.

* * *

Flames licked the ground as Hitomi swung her katana, spreading her magic across the park, attracting the creatures that were using the shadows as their hiding spots. 

(She’s lucky she can control it, otherwise they would have to explain why the entire park was burned to the ground.) 

An observation they made was that these creatures were attracted to the  _ light _ , hence why they extinguished all the light sources that scattered the paths. Now that Hitomi had appeared, they were chasing  _ her  _ and her fire, but she quickly quelled the claws that reached out to her with a flick of her katana and a snap of her fingers—erupting the disembodied creature’s body in flames.

“Hii-chan, get down!” 

Hitomi dropped to the ground immediately as a frozen arrow flew above her, striking and freezing a creature in mid-air. As quick as the arrow froze the creature, it disappeared with a large crash—Nako appeared just above it and slammed her hammer down. She landed right next to Hitomi, her breath in soft pants. “Nako-chan—” 

“I’m okay, just a bit tired.”

Nako’s quick to respond, flashing her a small smile. Hitomi pushed her lingering concerns away as she hopped back to her feet.

“I got it!” 

Yuri’s triumphant cry echoed into the night, and in an instant, the light posts were flickering back on one by one, exposing the darkness that previously flooded the park. Those creatures that were lurking flinched, stunned at how easily they became visible. Arrows came hailing down on them, striking them down or locking them in place, allowing a quick smash of a hammer, swipe of a scythe, or a slash of a katana to finish them. 

The park was finally returning back to normal, the infested creatures disappearing one by one. Everyone felt relieved—it had been a long, drawn-out night. As Hitomi was walking back to the others by a light post, her eyes caught something moving from the bushes. 

Her eyes widened, there was still one left. Her and the creature made eye contact, and she immediately raised her katana to strike, but it just dashed away. 

_ What? Why? _

She couldn’t let the creature run away—it could harm others. She took off after it, ignoring the surprised cries of her name behind her. 

…

She knew running had never been one of her strong points—her legs ached and her heart pounded against her chest as she chased the creature through the grassy area. She cut through foliage that blocked her way and ducked and jumped over things that she couldn’t snap away in an instant. Her eyes kept themselves on the creature ahead—it was like a dog almost, sprinting through, jumping and ducking when it could. 

Hitomi couldn’t help but wonder, why was a different creature in the area?

Her talk with Yuri earlier that week played out in her mind, reminding her of the theory that the lightning mage told her. 

Was it possible that someone was controlling this creature? And they were luring her away from the others? 

Was this a trap? 

Her mind became frantic, realizing that this could very well be her end. 

But she  _ had  _ to follow it—if it harmed anyone it would be horrific and a strike against her duty. 

Finally emerging out of the foliage and grass, the creature stopped at a path, looking between the two.

_ There, this was it. _

Hitomi outstretched her hand, and swung it. The dog-like creature was a second too-late, when it decided on its path to escape, Hitomi’s flames blocked the way. It turned around to face her, but it was also a second too late because with a snap of her fingers, fire erupted just below its feet and engulfed it in flames. 

With a howl, it slowly dissipated with the embers of her fire.

A soft sigh of relief left her lips and her shoulders sagged. Everything was finally finished and there were no worst case scenarios like traps or anyone being attacked and the whatnot. Hitomi could already imagine her friends anger, confusion, and concern at her for leaving like that. She turned around to quickly return to them, but paused when she heard a clunk against the pavement.

She turned around as a small black crystal—the one similar to what Yuri drew out in her notebook—rolled on the pavement where the dark creature once stood. She raised a brow and crept closer, was Yuri’s theory actually true…? 

She wheeled back as a stream of fire erupted in front of her. Her katana raised right away as her eyes darted around to find the source of the fire.

They fell onto a figure that appeared just behind the flames. This figure bent down, picking up the jewel—it seemed to shine brightly despite being such a dark colour in their hands. Hitomi raised her voice over the crackles of the fire, telling them to stop.

She’s met with cold dark eyes that stared at her in confusion but there was something else there—amusement? It made Hitomi frown and narrow her eyes, did they think this was a game? Without thinking, she ran forward, ignoring the wisps of fire that snipped at her and raised her katana high, trying to reach the figure and the crystal. 

They were quicker than she thought, easily dodging her first strike and when she tried to snap her katana back up towards the hand with the crystal, they caught her sword with their free gloved hand. She gasped, what on—

Before her thought could continue, she was sharply pulled forward but she held her ground defiantly and glared at the figure in front of her.

A heavy tension stilled the air, their glares and magic conveying their emotion to each other.

Hitomi made the first move, flowing her magic to her katana to get them to pull away, but the other’s magic was stronger, resisting the heat that pulsed through the steel. Her jaw tightly locked as she tried to wiggle the blade out of the abnormally strong grip.

She stared at the person in front, finally realizing their long dark hair and brilliant red highlights.

The other caught her gaze, raising a brow.

_ That’s it? _

Hitomi could feel the mockery oozing from them and before she could push them away there was a soft whisper against their lips.

_ Nice try. _

In a flash, she’s kicked backwards through the flames that erupted earlier. She groaned as she hit the ground hard, slightly scorched from the said flames. That’s odd—how? Her eyes noticed the flames were different from her own—they’re imbued with another type of magic. 

"Hii-chan!" 

"Hitomi!" 

Her name is faintly called in the distance—the others were on their way. She turned her head briefly away before snapping back to the figure beyond the flames. They were waving the hand that held her blade before—scorch marks ran along the glove. Her magic must have had an effect on them.

The mysterious figure looked in the direction behind her, realizing that she wasn’t alone. 

Hitomi quickly stumbled up to her feet, about to chase them down again but the figure’s gaze returned to her, and they winked. 

_ What? _

And just like that, they disappeared into the darkness of the night. 

* * *

Nako arrived first (despite  _ everything  _ that happened that evening, her magic just seemed endless), immediately checking her injuries. When Minjoo and Yuri finally showed up, gasping for air, Yuri came forward first, and hit Hitomi (lightly) against her head.

“You’re crazy! I understand if Nako runs off like that and maybe Minjoo because she got distracted by something cute, but  _ you _ ?! We were worried sick about you!” 

Yuri blew up, despite the protests that came from Nako and Minjoo. Hitomi ran a hand gently against the place that Yuri hit, wincing a little. “S-Sorry, I just um… it was…” 

Her words are a jumbled mess, she’s unsure of how to quell Yuri’s anger.

She’s suddenly engulfed into a tight hug, Yuri’s head buried into her shoulder. “You should’ve waited, what if something happened to you? How would we deal with your loss?”

The words were mumbled against her shoulder and she felt  _ something  _ soak through her uniform. It was rare to see Yuri cry like this, usually Minjoo would be the first but that meant how much Yuri also cared for her (and the rest of them, she was sure Yuri would be angry and in tears if any of them were in the same position as her). She slowly wrapped her arms around Yuri’s small waist, apologizing quietly.

A soft hand ran through her hair, and she glanced upwards to meet with Minjoo, whose smiling warmly—tears welled up at the corner of her eyes. Hitomi whispered  _ I’m sorry _ to her but Minjoo shook her head—there was nothing to be sorry about, she understood why Hitomi did what she had to do. 

“Hey uh, we should probably finish checking the area before we grill Hii-chan on why she ran away like that.” Nako spoke up, already back in her original state. Her magical form must not have been able to hold on after all that’s happened. 

Yuri pulled away at her voice, smiling tearfully at Hitomi as she hugged her once more, pressing a soft kiss against her head. “We’ll talk later.” 

She turned to Nako, her eyes glowering. “Don’t think you’re off the hook too, Yabuki Nako! You were probably closer to dying than Hii-chan over here!” 

“Awe, come on, Yuri! I did say I was _ goin’ solo! _ ” 

Another playful argument erupted between the two, that made Minjoo and Hitomi sigh (but laugh a little, at least it was back to normal). As everyone returned back to their non-magical forms, Hitomi realized that she left the Student Council earlier without finishing any of her work. 

Minjoo took the opportunity to push her away gently, knowing how torn Hitomi was between making sure that everything would be okay and her work. “Go, Yuri and I have to lecture Nako first anyways.” She grinned playfully. 

Hitomi giggled, thanking her silently before she took off again—this time without chasing anything dangerous. 

* * *

Running was truly the bane of her existence.

Hitomi made her way back to the Student Council room, taking in heaping amounts of deep breaths when she arrived just before the door. After she controlled herself, she knocked and went in quickly.

“I’m sorry for returning so late. I promise I won’t do it again!” 

She rushed to her seat without a glance into the room, wanting to get started as soon as possible.

A soft laugh came from the other side of the room.

"It's okay, Hii-chan. Eunbi-unnie and Kang-chan went out to grab some food. We have time to kill."

Once again, Sakura was the only person in the room.

Hitomi’s gaze fell onto the only senior in the room, spotting a metal case that Sakura just closed and went to put away. She saw one of Sakura’s hands taped up and frowned. "Is everything okay, Kkura-unnie? I can help you with that if you like…" She stood up to get a closer look at the injury but Sakura waved her away. 

"Just a paper cut, but we ran out of bandages so I had to use some gauze and tape to clean it up. I'll be fine Hii-chan." 

Hitomi trusted her senior, so she went back to her seat, pulling up the papers that Eunbi wanted her to sort through before she abruptly left. A comfortable silence blanketed her and Sakura, just the gentle rustle of paper being shifted around filling the air between them. She peaked above the stack of papers, spotting Sakura staring out at the window. She noticed it was something that she did often.

“Hitomi.” 

She jolted up in her seat, her movements immediately paused. It was rare for her to call her by her name. She looked up, seeing Sakura still staring out the window. “I have a hypothetical question for you.” 

Carefully, she placed her papers down, and directed her full attention to Sakura. She nodded her head, asking her to go on silently. 

“If you were in a situation that forced you to choose between two things, would you abandon your duty for love?”

Hitomi tilted her head at the question, confused at the sudden situation. Her brows furrowed as she asked herself the question again, trying to frame it in her current situation. She spun the different scenarios—her duty being her role in protecting the world, her love being well, her friends, her family, her comrades—Minjoo, Nako, Yuri… 

Silent footsteps approached her, and she snapped out of her thoughts when a hand shifted underneath her chin, tilting her head slightly upwards to meet the gaze of her senior. Sakura’s eyes stared into her  _ soul, _ sending shivers down her spine as she drank in the features of her beautiful senior. 

She slowly realized why so many people at her school, both boys and girls, crushed hard on Miyawaki Sakura.

Sakura remained silent, staring down at her, waiting patiently for her answer.

Hitomi swallowed the lump that developed in her throat, her mind reeling and trying to form any sort of answer.

“Would I abandon my duty for love…?” She repeated underneath her breath. When she tried to imagine it again, she could only see the injured bodies of Minjoo, Nako, and Yuri against dark pavements as a shadowy figure stood over them, a large weapon held up high and ready to strike them down. 

It caused her to draw in a shaky breath. She couldn’t drive her imagination forward because that image alone stabbed her heart. 

“I… would never.” She breathed out finally, “I couldn’t abandon my duty because my duty is to protect those that I love. It goes hand in hand.” 

With her answer out, Hitomi focused her attention on Sakura. There was something in her gaze that she couldn’t read—was it understanding? Longing? Or something else…

“I see.” 

Sakura’s hand drifted to her cheek, gently stroking it with her thumb. 

“Unfortunately I can’t agree with that.”

A pained smile crossed Sakura’s face at that moment, and Hitomi could only wonder  _ why _ . What drove her senior to this thinking, what caused the troubled smile that traced her lips? She parted her lips to ask, but a finger gently pulled the top and bottom back together. 

“Maybe you’ll understand one day.” 

Hitomi tried to get one more word in, but the door opened and Sakura immediately pulled away, facing the returning Student Council members. She casually dragged Hyewon and Eunbi into a conversation about their food with some teasing involved. It was a complete 180 from what transpired earlier. 

Hitomi could only stare at Sakura’s back and wonder. 

_ What happened that caused such deep regret in those pretty eyes? _

**Author's Note:**

> ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ hello and thank you for reading through this long and self-indulgent piece that i've been working on for far too long now. 
> 
> a long time ago, i came across a tweet from a japanese wizone fan that posted a picture of hitomi, nako, yuri, and minjoo from their first promo pictures (the white shirts + jeans) and a second photo with them and coloured hair with the description of 'i love this precure (a magical girl anime) look of the 01 line' and it never left my brain (because we all know i'm 01 line trash). i always said to myself i won't do it, and then one day i actually came up with the title 'wish upon the stars' and decided well i can't turn back now... and started to develop the world slowly. i didn't want to expand on it (like i did for the ghost au) because well, i really should finish said au first but i really wanted to explore it, so i developed this piece as an exploration piece into the world and plot. at first it was a 2kim with minjoo focus, but as outling continued, i felt that chaewon couldn't fit the role i wanted her to and had to take a new approach to the story.
> 
> hence, how it turned into a hitomi and sakura story. 
> 
> yes i know i'm weird like that.
> 
> there's so much more i wanted to do more with the story, especially with developing 01 line's relationship and more soft moments because i love them so much but alas, i am restricted by a lot of things. perhaps one day (once i finish), i can come back to this universe and expand on it properly. 
> 
> i'm also sorry for anyone whose used to my nako being more serious yet playful, this one was just kinda a...meme. (i love you yabuki nako pls)
> 
> (also i face palm at how i managed to add hiinako i'm' just-) 
> 
> i want to keep typing and throwing words about this because i truly love this universe, but i shouldn't flood the ending notes like that. 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed this story. thank you for always giving me love and feedback and comments on all my other stories as well! 
> 
> until next time!


End file.
